Gavilan looks to make a run at Coast South Conference championship

Last season the Coast South Conference was an improved conference from the top to the bottom. Gavilan, Cabrillo, West Valley, Monterey, and Hartnell all posted records of .500 and above and the conference had four teams make the post season. Gavilan had a standout season as the Rams turned heads around the state and finished with 24 wins in the 2017-2018 season. Dallas Jensen took over the program, put together a solid squad, tied for a conference championship, won 24 regular season games, and posted a playoff win with the Gilroy based school. Cabrillo posted 17 wins and finished tied for the conference championship. The Aptos school seems to always be in the thick of things as the Seahawks were seeded 9th, and picked up a post season win on the road against Columbia. Monterey was another team that finished above .500 after posting 15 wins and finishing third place in the Coast south Conference. The Lobos made the post season and were seeded 16th but suffered a home loss against West Hills-Coalinga in the first round. West Valley had a solid season as the Vikings picked up 15 wins, finished in a tie for 3rd place and lost in the 1st round of the Northern California playoffs to Ohlone as the Saratoga based school was the 19th seed. Hartnell was another team that stood out last season as the Panthers won 13 games and had a legit shot at making the post season. Hartnell finished 5-7 in conference action and stumbled at the end of the season and failed to make the post season. San Jose and De Anza were two teams that struggled in the regular season and failed to make the post season. The Coast South Conference was a much improved conference and we expect the same thing going into the 2018-2019 season.

2018-2019 Coast South Conference Preview

Gavilan (24-5 overall, 9-3 1st place tie in Coast South Conference): One of the surprises of the 2017-2018 season had to be the Gavilan Rams. Dallas Jensen took over the program and the rest is history as the Rams ran off 13 straight wins to start off the season en route to a 24 win and co championship season in the Coast South Conference. Gavilan went 9-3 in conference but suffered two setbacks late in the season that could have given the Gilroy based school the Coast South championship outright. Gavilan made the post season as a fifth seed and picked up a 2nd round win over 12th seeded Modesto. In the sweet sixteen the Coast South co champions faced off against 4th seeded Fresno on the road and suffered a 93-78 loss on the road to the Central Valley Conference champions. Gavilan ended their season with 24 wins and it was a great turn around for the Gilroy based school in 2017-2018. We did expect an improvement, but the Rams worst to first finish in the Coast South Conference was something most did not expect in the 2017-2018 season.

Head Coach: Dallas Jensen

Returnees: The Rams return three key pieces from the 24 win team from a year ago. Leading the list of returnees is all conference and second leading scorer from last season Ibn Zaid. The “6-0” guard averaged 16.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his freshman campaign while being named to our 2nd team All Northern California Signal The Light Basketball All Freshman team. Zaid scored over 20 points eight times last season and shot 39% from downtown for the Rams. “6-0” Mrad Abrha returns to the Rams for his second season as the guard averaged 8.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in his freshman season. Abrha will bring experience to the back court for the Rams. “6-7” Xander Bowers will add experience to the front court this season as the sophomore averaged 9.6 points and 9.8 rebounds last season for Gavilan. Bowers was 4th in the state in offensive rebounds (118) and the sophomore had a season high of 29 rebounds last year against West Valley. Bowers recorded eight double doubles as a freshman and will add some glass help this season for the Rams. Gavilan has a solid big three coming back and the sophomores should be a huge part in the upcoming 2018-2019 season.

Newcomers: Gavilan will have some solid newcomers for the upcoming season that could impact the program. “6-4” Deion Ellis will look to make an impact this season for the Rams as the sophomore comes in from Canada College where the versatile player averaged 5.1 points in 2014-2015 for Canada. Ellis had a solid showing at the Norcal Jamboree and is a glue guy for the Rams. “6-6” Daylon Potts comes in from Cosumnes River and will also make an impact for the Rams. The sophomore averaged 5.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in 2015-2016 for the Hawks. Kurtis McCoy comes into the program from Reedley as the “6-5” sophomore averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 2016-2017 for the Tigers.”6-5” Derek Burgess will bring sophomore experience and some scoring touch to the Rams as the sophomore transfer from Oklahoma Christian played well at the Norcal Juco Jamboree in San Francisco in mid September. “6-0” Patrick Fisher (Bloomington HS) will look to contribute this upcoming season for the Rams as the point guard will see minutes at the point guard in his freshman campaign. “6-2” Taysean Nolan (Henry Carr HS) will look to contribute as the season moves forward as he will bring athleticism to the team.

Projection: Gavilan looked solid at the Norcal Juco Jamboree in mid September as the Rams played at a solid level. The Rams have a solid back court and will be one of the better teams in Northern California and have a chance to make a deep post season run. Gavilan returns one of the best guards (Ibn Zaid) in Northern California and a rebounding machine which spells success. Gavilan returns three players that are expected to contribute in a big way as the Rams will look to have a solid 2018-2019 campaign. The Rams have seven sophomores listed on their roster and anytime you have experience coming back into a new season it usually spells success. Gavilan will be a team that we see making a run at another conference championship and a deep run into the post season in Northern California.

Cabrillo (17-11 overall, 9-3 1st place tie in Coast South Conference): Last season Cabrillo started the season off slow losing five of their first nine games and the Seahawks seemed to get better as the season moved along. Cabrillo won 9 out of 12 in conference action, made a solid push and made the post season after picking up 17 wins on the season. The Seahawks picked up a post season birth, and Cabrillo was rewarded with a nine seed and picked up a road victory against Columbia in the second round of the playoffs. Cabrillo lost in the sweet 16 to San Francisco and will look to make another push for another solid season as the school from Aptos lost a lot of key pieces from last season.

Head Coach: Tony Marcopulos

Returnees: The Seahawks return two players from their 17 win campaign from a year ago. “6-6” Lenorris Mincey leads the list of returnees to the Seahawks for the upcoming season. The sophomore averaged 6.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in his freshman campaign. Mincey scored in double figures in nine games last season and had a season high of 14 points against West Valley. “6-1” Mikai Stewart returns for his sophomore campaign after averaging 3.3 points and 1.4 assists in limited action last season for the Seahawks.

Newcomers: The Seahwaks will look to plenty of new faces as Cabrillo returns only two pieces from last seasons championship squad. “6-9″ Avery Edwards returns to the Seahawks after averaging 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 13 games in 2016-2017. Edwards posted an 18 points and 10 rebound double double two seasons ago against Siskiyous and will be a force this season for Cabrillo.”6-6″ Davon Northcutt will bring sophomore experience transferring from El Camino. The sophomore averaged 1.9 points in his freshman season at the Southern California school.”5-11″ Darnell White will be an impact transfer for the Seahwaks as the guard is coming from Monterey Peninsula and will provide experience to the back court. “6-0” Trey Whitley is another transfer coming into the program from West Valley and will add experience to the back court. “6-6” Yeskin Williams is a freshman who is coming in from USC Upstate after receiving a medical redshirt at the four year school. “6-2” Dymond Hanks (Stephen F. Austin HS), “6-2” Archie Mills (Dayton HS), “6-1” Gabe Mack (Martin Luther HS), and “6-7” Hunter Seymour (North Side Christian HS) are all freshmen expected to contribute this season.

Projection: On paper the Seahawks look to be in rebuild mode, but until someone knocks off the school in Aptos how can we pick against them? Cabrillo is a team that seems to get better as the season moves along and the Seahawks usually have one of the states stingiest defenses year in and year out. The Seahawks will have six sophomores listed on their roster and that experience will be crucial as the season prolongs. Cabrillo will be in the mix of things and we expect the Seahawks to challenge in the upper half of the conference and earn a post season bid. The Seahawks lost three key pieces but at the end of the day, Cabrillo will be in the thick of things and will be right there towards the top of the Coast South Conference standings when the 2018-2019 season ends.

Monterey (15-14 overall, 6-6 3rd place tie in Coast South Conference): The Lobos won 15 games last season but struggled to find any consistency in the 2017-2018 season. After starting the season 4-1, the Lobos finished off the regular season 11-13 and finished in a 3rd place tie in the Coast South Conference. Monterey finished .500 in conference and made the post season as a 16th seed in the Northern California playoffs. The Lobos were 2-3 in games decided by 5 points or less. Monterey hosted a first round playoff game but the Lobos suffered a first round set back as the Coast South team lost to 17th seeded West Hills 81-76.

Head Coach: Blake Spiering

Returnees: The Lobos will return two players from last seasons playoff team that won 15 games. “6-10” Talili Lealea will return for his second season for the Lobos as the sophomore averaged 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in his freshman campaign. Lealea scored a season high of 16 points against De Anza last year and will provide some bulk and some size to the front court. “6-3” Anthony Dennis is back for his second season for the Lobos as the second year player averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Lobos. Dennis scored a season high of 21 points against Los Angeles Trade Tech and will provide slashing to the Lobos for the upcoming season. The two sophomores will look to provide experience for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.

Newcomers: Marquis Pickrom will come in from Gavilan College as the “5-10” guard averaged 7.6 points, 2.5 rebounds in 2016-2017 for the Rams. The sophomore will provide experience to the back court this upcoming season for the Lobos. “6-6” Quinn Ryan will add experience to the squad as the sophomore averaged 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 2016-2017 for Modesto Junior College. The two sophomore transfers will add depth to the squad this upcoming season. “6-8” Bryson Ryan (Tokay HS), “6-6” Gavin Riperre (Salinas HS) will be two freshmen that will add some size to the front court to the Lobos as both players are expected to contribute this upcoming season. “6-2” Tim Harper (Salinas HS), “6-0” Muezzin Muwwakkil (Smoky Hill HS), and “6-5” Justen Miller (Highlands HS -coming off ACL injury) will all be freshman that will be looked to contribute this upcoming season for the Lobos in the back court.

Projection: Monterey made the post season a year ago but the Lobos lost many key pieces from that post season team. Monterey will have two players coming back from a 15 win season team from a year and the Lobos will have two transfers and will have four sophomores listed on the roster for the upcoming season. We expect the Lobos to be a competitive team and Monterey should compete in the mid to upper half of the conference. The freshmen and newcomers will have to grow up fast in the much improved Coast South Conference in the upcoming 2018-2019 season. If the freshmen play big and step up the Lobos will be in the upper half of the conference but if not, the Lobos could struggle and finish in the lower half of the conference and possibly miss the post season.

West Valley (15-14 overall, 6-6 3rd place tie in Coast South Conference): Last season the Vikings won 15 games and made the post season as the 19th seed in the Northern California playoffs. West Valley struggled to find any consistency facing the upper teams in the Coast South Conference as the Vikings were 1-5 against teams that were 3rd place or higher within conference action. West Valley picked up a win against Monterey on the last game of the regular season to get into the post season. West Valley ended up making the post season and losing on the the road against Ohlone 80-75 in the first round. The Vikings will look to build off last seasons playoff appearance and look to have a successful 2018-2019 campaign.

Head Coach: Scott Eitelgeorge

Returnees: The Vikings will be the one of the most experienced team in the Coast South Conference when the 2018-2019 season begins. West Valley will return four key pieces off a 15 team win that made the post season a year ago. Devante Johnson leads the list of key returnees coming back to the Vikings as the sophomore averaged 19.2 points and 6.9 rebounds in his freshman campaign last season. Johnson was named to our 2nd team All Northern California All Freshman team as the “6-1” guard had a spectacular season. Johnson scored a season high of 38 points against Monterey, had five 30 point games, and scored over 20 points thirteen times and was named to the all conference team a year ago. “6-1” Cristian Mejia will return for his sophomore campaign after averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in his first season. Mejia scored a season high of 28 points twice last season and the freshman scored over 20 points seven times last season and was also named to the All Coast South all conference team. “6-3” Trevor Funk (3.2 points), and Beattie Roggasch (5.3 points, 2.2 assists) will provide experience and solid shooting to the Vikings this upcoming season.

Newcomers: The Vikings will add two transfers to provide experience for the upcoming season. West Valley will welcome in “6-7” Tyler Wright into the program as the sophomore played at Skyline College in 2015-2016 and averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds in 11 games. Wright will add athleticism and is expected to make an impact for the Vikings. Alphonse Manalo comes in from the College of the Sequoias where he saw limited action but will provide some sophomore experience to the squad for the upcoming 2018-2019 season. “5-11” Robert Noland will provide some experience in the back court as the sophomore averaged 7.3 points and 3.0 assists at Skyline College in 2015-2016. Nolan played in seven games last season for the Vikings and averaged 7.7 points before suffering a season ending injury. “6-1” Ryan Hewitt (Chattahoochee, GA), “6-1” Derrik Lawrence (Santa Teresa HS), “6-0” Jacquez Walker (Piedmont Hills HS) are three freshman that could contribute this season for the Vikings. All three players played well for the Vikings at the Norcal Juco Jamboree and will provide depth in the back court this upcoming season for West Valley.

Projection: The Vikings have a solid chance to challenge for a conference championship with the experience they will bring to the table. It would not surprise me to see West Valley flirt with the 20 win mark and be one of the better teams in Northern California this upcoming season. West Valley has some solid shooters on the roster. West Valley will be a team to watch and the Vikings have the most experience coming back as far as the whole conference comes into the new season. The Vikings return two all conference players that averaged in double figures a year ago. West Valley will have seven sophomores listed on their roster and experience is key at the junior college level which is why in our eyes West Valley should make a post season run and be one of the top teams in the Coast South Conference for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.

Hartnell (13-13 ovreall, 5-7 5th place in Coast South Conference): Last season, the Panthers won 13 games and finished at an even .500 for the 2017-2018 season. Hartnell started off the season started off the season 6-1 and made some noise early in Salinas. Hartnell seemed destined for a spot in the post season after starting off January with four consecutive wins to open up Coast South Conference action. At that point in the season the Panthers were 12-6 with eight games left in the regular season. Hartnell struggled to finish out the season strong and the Panthers ended the regular season with a 1-7 clip. The Panthers finished in 5th place in conference and failed to make the post season. Hartnell missed the post season and finished one game behind Monterey and West Valley in the Coast South Conference.

Head Coach: Andrew Vasher

Returnees: The Panthers will return five players off last seasons team that won 13 games and finished in 5th place in the Coast South Conference. “6-3” Spencer Conrad leads the list of returnees as the guard averaged 17.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in his freshman season. Conrad was one of the most versatile players in the state a year ago as the guard flirted with multiple triple doubles and posted a triple double against De Anza last season as a freshman. “6-5” Rene Hurtado will provide a scoring punch this season for the Panthers as the sophomore averaged 9.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in his freshman season. “5-11” Dallin Mortensen returns for his second season as the guard averaged 7.6 points in his freshman season and will provide experience to the Panthers. “5-11” Miguel Velez will return for his sophomore season after averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 assists last season. Mark Witland will return and provide experience to Hartnell this upcoming season. The “6-4” sophomore played limited minutes and will look to contribute for Hartnell.

Newcomers: Mark Wolf will return back after sitting out last season as the “6-5” sophomore averaged 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in the 2016-2017 season for the Panthers. “6-4” Daniel Walker will come into the program as a sophomore and provide experience to the Panthers. “6-2” Taylor Cox (Durant HS) will provide shooting to the Salinas school as the freshman is expected to contribute this season for the Panthers. “6-7” KJ Houston will bring length and athleticism to the Panthers as the freshman had some good moments at the showcase. “5-11” Michael Green (Bingham HS) and “5-10” Daniel Bost (Salinas HS) are two other freshmen that could contribute this season for Hartnell.

Projection: Hartnell will look to have a successful season after finishing .500 a year ago. The Panthers may have been a playoff team if the Salinas squad would have won one more game towards the end of the season. The Panthers return three players that averaged 7 or more points a game and return one of the most productive guards in Northern California. Hartnell should be a competitive team in the Coast South Conference but will the Northern California based team have enough to finish in the upper half of the conference? The Panthers have seven sophomores which will provide experience and will be vital in the Coast South Conference race as we see the squad finishing in the middle of the pack and possibly in the upper half of the conference challenging for a post season bid.

San Jose (7-18 overall, 4-8 6th place in Coast South Conference): Last season the Jaguars struggled to a 7-18 record and finished in 6th place in the Coast South Conference after going 4-8 in the Northern California conference. San Jose started off the season 3-7 and never put together any type of consistency on the winning side in the 2017-2018 season. San Jose picked up conference wins against Cabrillo and Monterey but struggled against teams with winning records a year ago. The Jaguars won seven games and went 3-10 outside of the Coast South Conference. San Jose will look to have a better season but could struggle as the Jaguars are not returning a single player back from last years team that won seven games.

Head Coach: Percy Carr

Returnees: The Jaguars will not return one single player from a year ago after winning seven games in the 2017-2018 season.

Newcomers: The Jaguars will be a very inexperienced team as San Jose will feature a team full of new players. “6-2” Yakuba Mansaray is the only sophomore listed on the team as the guard is a transfer from Gavilan. Mansaray averaged 6.4 points and pulled down 3.4 rebounds in 2016-2017 for the Rams. “6-3” Jared Bailey (James Logan HS) is expected to be a key player for the Jaguars this upcoming season. “6-5” Marcus Jackson (Mililani HS), “6-4” James Barret (AA Stagg HS), and “6-8” Logan Davis (San Teresa HS) are all expected to contribute this season for the Jaguars.

Projection: San Jose will have a brand new roster for the upcoming season which could lead to early season difficulties. The Jaguars won seven games a year ago and will not have a single person back from the team. The Jaguars will have one sophomore on the roster and will lack experience. Experience is crucial in the junior college basketball world and with that being said, we expect San Jose to struggle and finish towards the bottom half of the conference for the upcoming 2018-2019 season.

Returnees: The Dons return three players from last seasons squad that won 9 games and finished in seventh place in the Coast South Conference. “6-7” A.J. Singh returns to the Dons after a very solid freshman campaign. The sophomore averaged 12.7 points and 6.1 rebounds last season for the Dons. Singh shot 64% from the floor (6th in the state) and the sophomore is expected to be an impact player for the Dons this season. “5-10” Blake Uyehara returns to the Dons this season after averaging 4.9 points and 2.3 assists last season. The sophomore guard shot 42% from downtown and will provide experience to the back court this upcoming season. “6-1” Austin Yvanovich will give the Dons experience after playing in 12 games last season as the freshman saw limited minutes.

Newcomers: The Dons will welcome in three sophomore transfers to the program for the upcoming 2018-2019 season. “5-10” Darien Davis comes into the program from Blue Mountain CC and will add experience to the back court. “6-3” Collin Hill comes into the program as a sophomore as the wing played at Greenville College in his freshman campaign. Ryan Madera comes back to the squad after sitting out last season. The “6-4” averaged 3.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 2016-2017 for the Dons. “5-11” Tariq Swanigan (McKinney, TX) could be a impact player for the Dons this season as the freshman could provide scoring this season for the Dons.

Projection: Going into the 2018-2019 season, De Anza will not have a lot of experience but the Dons should be a very competitive team in the much improved Coast South Conference. De Anza finished in last place last season but looked solid at times. The Dons schedule does not do them justice as De Anza will play anyone around the state. As the conference has improved the lack of experience could hurt the Dons but we expect this team to be competitive and get better as the season moves along possibly making a push for the middle of the pack when conference comes around in the 2018-2019 season.

2018-2019 Coast South Conference Preseason Projection

1. Gavilan

2. Cabrillo

3. West Valley

4. Hartnell

5. Monterey

6. De Anza

7. San Jose

Going into the 2018-2019 season, the Coast South Conference will be a much improved conference. Last season, four teams made the post season and it could happen again for the upcoming 2018-2019 season. Gavilan, Cabrillo and West Valley appear to have a solid chance of finishing in the upper half of the conference. Gavilan had a solid showing at the Norcal Juco Jamboree and the Rams look to have a solid shot at being one of the better teams in the conference. Cabrillo will be right in the thick of things as the Seahawks lost a lot of players from a year ago but are always a team to watch within the Coast South Conference. West Valley is the wild card in the conference, as the Vikings return a lot of key pieces from a year ago and should land a post season spot. Monterey, De Anza and Hartnell will be competitive teams and will look to finish in the upper half of the conference. San Jose will look to be competitive as the Jaguars do not return a single player from last seasons team that struggled to seven wins. As the season approaches, this could be a solid race to follow all season. If the Coast South Conference plays well against other conferences, we could see four teams getting into the post season again for the upcoming season.